The Hide (chat thread)

Stigura

Ah, c'mon, OP. Cats must have their freedom to decimate native wildlife. It's in their nature, after all

Personally? I'd put the fence up. Ye foxes will only get a belt. It won't kill them. One of my Dogs trod on an electric gate that I had laying down, the other day there. He yelped and bolted indoors with his tail between his legs. Poor soul. But, he soon forgot about it. He just won't touch that gate again.

Time comes ye remove the fence? Foxes will find out and get back to what they were doing.

Half-cocked

Stigura wrote: »

Ah, c'mon, OP. Cats must have their freedom to decimate native wildlife. It's in their nature, after all

Personally? I'd put the fence up. Ye foxes will only get a belt. It won't kill them. One of my Dogs trod on an electric gate that I had laying down, the other day there. He yelped and bolted indoors with his tail between his legs. Poor soul. But, he soon forgot about it. He just won't touch that gate again.

Time comes ye remove the fence? Foxes will find out and get back to what they were doing.

I'm thinking the cat threat to fledglings is mainly during daylight hours while the foxes are nocturnal. So the fence is going up along the base of both hedges. 1 strand of wire about 6 inches off the ground will do the trick.

Capercaillie

Half-cocked wrote: »

I'm thinking the cat threat to fledglings is mainly during daylight hours while the foxes are nocturnal. So the fence is going up along the base of both hedges. 1 strand of wire about 6 inches off the ground will do the trick.

Know you're just putting electric fence up to keep feral cats out and not putting it on at night to deter foxes, but keeping foxes out is hard work. Foxes can jump 7 foot electric fences if they have to (clearing it).

emo72

thought this was funny. watch the eyes coming in from the distance:pac:

http://imgur.com/gallery/3TiGEw4

TopTec

Sorry, but at what point is that funny? I respect the opportunism and the skill involved but funny? Nah.

TT

emo72

TopTec wrote: »

Sorry, but at what point is that funny? I respect the opportunism and the skill involved but funny? Nah.

TT

a maybe a wee bit of anthropomorphism. they're winding each other up. nothing too serious. forget about the funny then, its a great video bro. i think its hilarious though.

Stigura

Fascinating! (If somewhat morbidly) I'd long since learned eagle owls were known to be major predators of fellow birds of prey. It simply never crossed my mind that they'd do it at night.

Bsal

First fledgling Sparrow and Blackbird in the garden today.

Half-cocked

Lost another House Sparrow fledgling today - this time to the local Sparrowhawk.

Bsal

Half-cocked wrote: »

Lost another House Sparrow fledgling today - this time to the local Sparrowhawk.

Atleast it wasn't a cat.

Stigura

Got a blackbird on eggs in my cottoneaster hedge. Dogs showed me it before she'd even laid. Now she's down on five eggs. Big Dogs were just curious. They stuck their noses in there to see what was going on. I told them to leave her alone. They've never bothered her since.

Evil little jack russell though? She'd spend all day, every day bouncing up and down beneath it. Shouting. With her stumpy little cotton reel legs though, she had no chance. I left her to give herself a sore throat.

Till I went out there and saw her on top of the hedge!!! :eek: How The F....?! Fortunately, the nest is down a bit and she hadn't yet worked out how to get down to it.

Evil Little Dog now spends the next month on a chain. Poetically; Her chain allows her to get within a foot of the hedge. Directly where the nest is! So close ....! :pac:

Capercaillie

Holding demonstration day at farm for NPWS/DAFM to show best practice in corncrake habitat creation. Hopefully crexs will be calling, no sign yet.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

First clutches seem to have been very successful. The garden is a riot of fledgling House Sparrows, Pied Wagtails, Dunnock, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Blackbird, and Chaffinch today.

Capercaillie

Update on corncrake numbers from West Connacht: good numbers on Connemara Islands. In my area on the Mullet peninsula huge decline. 37 calling males last year to only 5 calling males that I know of. None in my area or on my farm, distraught does not even describe it.:(:(:(

Zoo4m8

Some time ago I was delighted to realise that a pair of Buzzards had chosen to nest in a Sycamore tree only twenty meters from the house.. That delight lasted only till yesterday when , away from the place, I got a phone call asking me did I know there was a lad flying a drone in the fields, ten minutes I was back in the place and was horrified to see this chap flying the drone back and forwards over the hedge in which the Sycamore is...
I was apoplectic , he very quickly landed the drone and explained he was from a survey company, engaged to plot the course of an intended road. Of course he was only doing his job and was nearly as horrified as I was when I explained and he offered to collect his gear and leave.
After I calmed down and he showed me his flight plan he said he was finished in that area and would be flying at 80meters high elsewhere I decided to let him finish reasoning that if he didn't do it there would be more disturbance as another way was found to complete the job.
I saw one of the buzzards floating about a quarter Mile away clearly upset and feared the worst , all day I have been looking out and listening and nothing...
But now I have just driven round the back of the house to see one of them chasing a Magpie out of the tree..Happy Days!!!
Apologies, that has all been a bit long winded but bearing in mind the alleged disturbance by a drone of the WTES and there increasing use in the survey and other industries I wonder if there should be guidelines in place(if not already) re their use and effect on wildlife?.

Capercaillie

8 crexs on Mullet marginally up. Plus found 1-2 crex at the dump. 1 crex found on Shannon Callows (friend of Openyoureyes!), NPWS will validate or not. Crex on Raithlin Island N.Ireland still in song. Still no crex on my farm despite good nettle/iris habitat, but area of cover still not large enough:(

Bsal

With no rain for a good 2-3 weeks in my area the birds in my garden are constantly looking for water to drink and bathe, lost count on how many times I'm refilling the water bath everyday. The fledgling Starlings can't get above the wall after a bath so decide to sunbathe in the grass in small groups it's like a Starling creche at the moment

Bsal

Interesting video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii-_407kHlo

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Certainly no shortage of bumblebees this year. The garden is buzzing with literally dozens of them, and of many different species.

A pipistrelle bat is asleep on the side of the shed this morning. It must have got caught out after dawn and just hunkered in for the day.

Capercaillie

cannot findo photo thread so.
Melodious warbler

Capercaillie

Black kite

philstar

whats this??

Hotei

Ectemnius continuus, and are commonly known as Square-headed Wasps.
I'm seeing loads of them feeding on Common Hogweed at the moment.

philstar

do they sting? do they pollunate ?

Hotei

Like most wasp species they would have a sting, but they don't actively go about stinging humans. Unlike the Common Wasp, these guys are quite flighty and are difficult to get close to when trying to photograph them. Yes, they are pollinators.

ThunderCat

On my way into work this morning a bird flew over the motorway (M1) but it had an irregular shape to the bottom half of it's body. It was only a second or two later that I could see it was a Kestrel with a Rat (I think) in it's talons. I have seen a Kestrel many times in flight but never carrying prey. Good to see.

jimmynokia

Been travelling to Kells the last few days and from the dunshaughlin turn off right up to the kells turn off I've noticed these birds sitting on the lamposts quite alot. Anytime I stop to get a snap they fly off, they are bigger than crows are they Eagles or kestrels? At times I've often seen them on trees but more so the lamposts.

Bsal

jimmynokia wrote: »

Been travelling to Kells the last few days and from the dunshaughlin turn off right up to the kells turn off I've noticed these birds sitting on the lamposts quite alot. Anytime I stop to get a snap they fly off, they are bigger than crows are they Eagles or kestrels? At times I've often seen them on trees but more so the lamposts.

I would guess they are Buzzards, beautiful birds.

jimmynokia

Bsal wrote: »

I would guess they are Buzzards, beautiful birds.

Cool, desperately trying to get some photos only if they would stay still for a minute,quite a few of them around on that route..

whyulittle

Just noticed two Ravens back at their nest this evening. They're not common double brooders are they?